The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga began the home portion of its 2012-13 wrestling schedule as it ended pre-tournament 2011-12.

The Mocs, who shut out VMI 41-0 to end last year's regular season, shut out Cumberland University 49-0 Friday to boost their season record to 3-1.

They then stepped on the mat with perennial bully Iowa. The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes, fresh from a 27-12 win over Virginia earlier in the day, wrestled like a team on a quest for No. 1, shelling the Mocs 37-6 before a sellout crowd of 2,639.

According to UTC officials, it is the first wrestling sellout in Maclellan Gym history. The crowd came to see Iowa and how the Mocs would stack up against one of the best of the national powers.

What they saw was the difference that comes from competing in Iowa's wrestling room.

What the trained eye saw, though, was something entirely different. Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands was screaming at a couple of wrestlers in the third period.

"I don't think you saw our best team," Hawkeyes head coach Tom Brands said. "We've got some more firepower back home. We've got some guys wrestling in the Missouri Open, and we still have got to get the best guys together."

The big win for Iowa, which was opening its season, came in its second match against 16th-ranked Virginia after a lopsided win over NAIA member Cumberland University.

"They came here to beat us," Tom Brands said of the Cavaliers. "There was a lot of strategy and we let them put us in positions we're not good at. I think we got caught up in the opponent's strategy. But Cumberland -- they fight well and they were getting traction. I like what they're doing."

He also liked what his Hawkeyes did with the Mocs, taking eight of the 10 matches.

The Mocs' two wins came from 149-pound Alex Hudson, who was wrestling a 141-pound backup, and 197-pound Niko Brown, who beat Hawkeyes starter Tomas Lira 10-7.

"I told myself you can't be scared of a name," Brown said after improving to 14-1. "This year, no fear."

"I thought we could win at 125, at 141 and at 174, for sure," he said. "Initial reaction is that we left some on the table."

Nick Soto, the Mocs' 12th-ranked 125-pounder, got pinned by Iowa's top-ranked Matt McDonough, a two-time NCAA champion who extended his win streak to 31 with the first-period stick of the UTC sophomore. Dean Pavlou, who's listed in some of the national top 20 rankings at 141 pounds, lost a major decision, and 174-pound Jake Young surrendered a 5-1 lead and fell 7-5 to Jake Gambrell.

"Maybe he relaxed," Eslinger said of Soto's loss. "It's like getting burned on a long pass. And Jake didn't manage his match well. He gave up a takedown with 15 seconds left in the second period. It kept him from going into the third period with a 5-1 lead."

So much for the 5-5 split the Mocs might've managed.

"They're a great team and maybe as a realist that was the way it was supposed to be," Eslinger said. "We saw some things on which we need to get better, some things we have seen the last two-three weeks, and now we have three-four weeks to work on them. We'll keep working forward."

Two UTC signees

The Mocs have two signees under wraps for the early signing period.

Kevin Cooper, a likely 149- or 157-pounder from Simon Kenton High in Independence, Ky., got his papers in Thursday. Mike Pongracz, a potential 133-pounder from Delaware, Valley, N.J., faxed his papers in late Friday.

Cooper is a four-time state medalist and two-time state champion. He's coming off a 67-0 junior season.

Pongracz went 38-4 last season on his way to a fifth-place state tournament finish. He has a career record of 113-14.